Treble viol

Treble viol with four strings. One-piece flat back, ribs neck and head of maple, spruce table. The table and back have no purfling. Measurements: length of back 384 mm., over all length:655mm. Labelled inside the back: ‘Robert Thompson att (sic) the Bass/ Violin on St. Pauls Alley, St. Pauls/ Churchyard London, 1756.’ The viol has been used as a viola, as is evidenced by the current stringing and packets of strings in the case of the instrument, its bridge and mute. The bridge stamped ‘A.HANSON/HUDDERSFIELD’. This treble viol retain its original features and is substantially unaltered.The fingerboard and tailpiece are not original as also the bridge, soundpost and strings. The neck is untouched except that it has been reset at a steeper angle by the insertion of a wedge between the heel and the top block, and the pegbox retains its original configuration for four strings. The pegs and the endpin are consistent with a 1750s date, and the interior is untouched.